The present invention relates to electronic information and communication systems and more particularly to a combination of operational nodes incorporating databases and application programs for providing graphical and textual information (Videotex) and transactional capabilities to end-user terminals connected thereto.
A Videotex service is a medium for conveying information electronically in an effective, user friendly, and relatively inexpensive manner to a large user population. It combines color, graphics and text in a single display to provide an attractive presentation of information to experienced as well as novice users. It is assumed that as its popularity increases the majority of users, while not being trained in data processing, will be interested in using it for message exchange and transactional activities, in addition to using it to access a wide range of information bases. Experienced users will generally wish to obtain specific information in a quick and direct fashion while novice users will tend to browse through databases trying to determine the value of the information being offered.
First and second generation Videotex services have tended to be limited both in the range of information bases offered and in the ability of the system to cater to the capabilities of a wide range of end-users. On the other hand, Data Processing Networks, such as the IBM VNET and the XEROX ETHERNET, have been developed to improve and integrate communication between and among individual computer terminals and databases. However, these networks essentially are either in-house, local area systems wherein the majority of the operating devices, work stations and data bases are proximately disposed, such as within an office or a plant, or are non-interactive and provide for a file transfer mode of operation.
Other networks such as the IBM Information Network (IN) and IBM's PVM systems do provide on-line interactive sessions between centralized data processing machines and their users who may be located remotely. However, these networks do not offer the consistent and easy-to-use interfaces for which Videotex services are well known.
With the increasing growth in large, centralized special-purpose databases along with integrated individual compact work stations capable of handling information presentations in color, graphics, and text (Videotex), the desirability of developing an extended architecture to foster cooperation among a wide range of remotely located terminals and databases has become manifest.